Degenerate Openings
by Armygirl0604
Summary: Sequel to Leon's Daughter. The trouble's past and Eric is dead, but now Umbrella is working with Scorpia and Alicia's looking for a missing person. But who is it? And how does MI6 expect ALEX to stop an oncoming Zombie friggin Apocalypse?
1. Chapter 1

Alex awoke to total darkness. He bolted up, listening intently. His hearing settled at about the same time that his eyes began to adjust. He picked out a soft, rhythmic ticking, his own breathing, and, ever so faintly in the distance, the sounds of voices. And then his eyes adjusted to what was not, in fact, _total_ darkness, but only partial, with a small amount of light streaming through the curtains and filtering under the door.

His wrists were no longer bound.

The first thing he did, after glancing around, was check his body for injuries. He was surprised to find his chest wrapped, creamy white bandages circling his torso like a second skin. There were also bandages, soft cotton ones, wrapped around his wrists and ankles, the edges glistening with some kind of salve. He swung his legs over the side of the bed in an attempt to stand, and immediately crumpled to the floor, mewling in pain.

Footsteps ran toward his door and the flimsy wood swung open, the hinges creaking. Alex slammed his eyes shut against the sudden light change. "Okay, Alex," a calm, feminine voice said. "Okay, it's alright. It's alright."

The footsteps stopped just short of the bedside, and the voice spoke again, the accent distinctly American. The only woman in the Alias compound had been French. "I'm going to come closer, now, Alex. I just want to help you back into the bed. I won't harm you. Okay? No hitting this time. I don't want to sedate you again, but I will if you hit me. Got it?"

All Alex could manage was a feeble whimper. His head throbbed as if it had been split open with a hatchet and every other part of him ached and burned with unseen fire. A pair of cool, steady hands lifted him under his armpits and pulled his right arm over a slim shoulder. "Alright, let's get you back in bed." He was eased back onto the mattress again, and the covers were tucked back over him. A cool hand, one of the same ones that had just assisted him, felt his forehead. "He's still got an incredibly high fever," the woman said. "I'll say it again, he _needs_ a hospital."

"Scorpia is looking for him, we can't risk it. They know he didn't escape alone, without help. Your father would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you or Alex." This voice, Alex did recognize.

"W-Wolf," he whimpered, cracking his eyes open again. The pain from the light was still intense, though, and he shut his eyes again. The light suddenly vanished, though, as the door shut with a creak. He opened them again.

A strong, firm hand rested on the top of his head, pushing his hair back from his forehead. "It's alright, Alex. You're safe now."

"H-hurts."

"Where?" the female voice, which he was slowly becoming accustomed to, was low and close to his ear.

Alex attempted to pull away, his eyes darting over to see her. The girl couldn't have been very old at all, no older than him anyways. Dark hair pulled back in a braid and startlingly intense eyes, though he didn't get a color, were the only features he could easily grasp at the moment. He looked to Wolf, but the older man didn't seem at all alarmed by her presence. Alex licked his dry lips and said nothing.

"_Where,_ Alex?" the girl pressed. "I need to know where it hurts."

"The boy's half delirious," a strong, Scottish voice said, just a bit too loud for Alex's comfort. "You won't get a proper answer out of him."

"He needs a hospital, Snake. Tell him! Tell James that we need to take him to a hospital."

"We've got Snake," Eagle chided. "He'll be fine."

The girl huffed. "I'm going to get Ben, see what he thinks."

"Ben's not here," Wolf said gruffly. "Went out."

"The boy's in pain, Alicia," Snake reminded her softly.

"Right, sorry. We'll discuss this later." The girl knelt by Alex again, snapping her fingers to get his attention as his eyes roamed feverishly. "Alex," she sang softly. "Alex, look at me. Look over here."

His gaze rolled to her, his eyes clouded. "Alex, I'm going to give you an injection, alright? It's going to make the pain go away, but it's also going to make you sleep. Don't worry, we'll protect you. There's no need to panic." Then something pinched his arm and the world went dark again.

The next time Alex woke, he was alone again. This time, there was a glass of water near the bed, which he gulped eagerly. There was a small pile of clothes on the foot of the bed, folded neatly. He stood slowly and pulled them on, easing his way gently around the multitude of bruises and gauze.

Alex racked his mind, trying to remember what happened. He'd gone to investigate Alias…he'd found out that it had all been a setup…and then…then it was all blurry. He'd been captured. That much he knew. But there was something else…someone else had been there.

It came to him in a rush that left him staggering against the wall, his eyes wide. "Terra," he choked.

He thought hard, trying to recall why the other MI6 agent, the one who'd been missing for six months, had been there. Something had happened to her, he knew. Of everything else, he was certain of only one thing. She was dead, and he was pretty sure he'd killed her.

_Willingly._


	2. Chapter 2

Alex found K-Unit in the kitchen.

It hadn't been hard. The apartment was small and there was only one hallway. He simply followed the sounds of voices to the brightly lit open area that contained a kitchen, living room, dining room, and hall closet.

They all turned to look at him as he entered, making him feel even more awkward about being slow and unsteady on his feet. But then the girl amidst them smiled warmly, as if they were old friends. "Alex," she said happily. "You're awake. Come sit, I'll get you something to eat as well. It's a good thing you're up, or these pigs probably would've eaten it all."

"You're a good cook," Eagle said defensively.

"And you're a glutton," she responded, smiling in a way that revealed she was only joking. "Come on," she urged the blond teenager. "Sit."

Alex sat warily, his eyes darting around, plotting escape routes. Just in case.

In case of what, he had no idea. But just in case.

The girl set a bowl of soup in front of him. It was a dusky red color, and smelled distinctly good. "It's minestrone," she said softly, as if this had been why he was staring at it. "I promise, no poison, drugs, or other toxins. Just soup."

Wolf sighed and set down the gun he was cleaning. "It's alright, Alex. We've all eaten it and we're still alive. She doesn't look like much, but the girl can cook."

The girl in question, her hair still up in the same messy braid from Alex's last encounter with her, swatted the man with a dishcloth.

Alex took a hesitant bite. They hadn't lied, the soup was quite good, and more than that, until he started eating, he hadn't realized how hungry he was. As he gulped down soup, the girl stood at the counter doing dishes. Alex scrambled to remember her name. Alice, maybe?

"Alicia," Snake said. "Would you mind starting a new pot of coffee?"

Alicia, it was then, quickly began fiddling with the small black electric coffee maker plugged in near the stove. Alex polished off his soup and she quietly refilled it, though he hadn't asked.

"If you can't finish it, at least eat half," she pleaded quietly. "You need to get your strength back up."

Between bites of soup, Alex spoke. "Another agent was there."

K-Unit abruptly stood up. "We'll be outside," Wolf said. "If you need us, give a yell."

Alicia nodded absently as they left. "What do you remember?"

Alex inhaled sharply. "I killed her."

Alicia shook her head. "No. No, you didn't kill her. They did. Umbrella killed her."

"Umbrella?"

She sighed. "I suppose I should fill you in. My name is Alicia Kennedy. I'm a United States government agent, sent here to look for an MIA agent from MI6. MI6 most likely would've sent one of their own agents, had it not been for a radio transmission that their frequencies picked up." Alicia pulled out a small voice recorder and pressed play.

Alex heard his own voice. _"MI6, this is Agent Rider. Repeat, this is Agent Rider, code name Cub. Requesting back-up on mission 56793240, code name Alias. Alias is a trap set by Scorpia. They're working with another company, I don't know who yet. I'll keep-_" the transmission fizzed out.

"Shortly after, MI6 also received a digital scanning of a logo you found on a wall." She tapped the recorder's screen and a picture that Alex vaguely recognized popped up. A red and white umbrella top with a black U in the center. "This is why I'm here. This logo is the Umbrella Corporation symbol. Umbrella Corp is a global bioterrorist group, the same one that developed the T-Virus." She waited for recognition from Alex. "You don't know what T-Virus is, do you?"

Alex shook his head.

"T-Virus," she explained, fiddling with the 'recorder,' which he now realized was a phone, is a biogenetic fluid transmittable man-made virus. It breaks down cells in the brain and chemically reorders the cell structure, biodegrading certain nerves and replacing them with toxins. Victims transmit the virus through fluids and, most commonly, bites." She pulled a file out of the bag that was slung on the back of her chair. "This is the file from the Raccoon City outbreak. And Raccoon City was just the beginning. It's happening all over the world. Even now, STARS is in Siberia cleaning up another outbreak."

Alex flipped through the file, shaking his head. "This isn't possible." Even so, dim bells flickered in his memory.

"It _is._ I've experienced it firsthand. That's why I'm here. MI6 practically begged my government to send me. If Umbrella is working with Scorpia, you and I may be the only chance our contries have at stopping them."

Alex snorted. "What can _we do?"_

_Alicia shrugged. "I'm just repeating what they told me. But honestly…I don't know."_

"_You…don't know? And you want me to trust you? Just on your word?"_

"_No. And maybe tomorrow we'll go discuss it with Blunt, if you feel up to it. But for now, I'd like to finish debriefing you, before you fall asleep on me."_

_It was then that Alex realized how tired he was. His head drooped forward and he snatched it back up defiantly, forcing his eyes open. Alicia hurridly summarized. "Basically, you were captured, I was sent to infiltrate. With the help of K-Unit, I did, and we brought you back to my apartment. MI6 knows where you are, and they've already been debriefed."_

"_What about Agent Lawrence?" Alex mumbled, his heart hammering in his chest._

_Alicia put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."_

_Darkness, both emotional and physical, overwhelmed him._


End file.
